Dance Rivals One-Shots
by Another Bechloe Shipper
Summary: A collection of one-shots from the Dance Rivals AU
1. Beca’s First Dance Competition

A/N: This cute idea popped into my head based on Beca's aversion to wearing fake eyelashes. It's a bit of a nod to my first dance competition when I threw a fit about eyeliner.

* * *

 **Beca's First Dance Competition**

 _Five years before Dance Rivals begins_

Beca Mitchell had just finished the fourth grade. Her dance group had received so many compliments from audience members at the dance recital that her teacher Alyson created a new dance competition team just for them. There were only four of them. The other three dancers were Cynthia Rose - a beautiful African American girl who excelled in jazz, Denise, a tall brunette with brown eyes who excelled in ballet, and Barb, another brunette with brown eyes who excelled in tap. Beca was the smallest of the group with brown hair and dark blue eyes. She was best at tap and jazz. She showed a lot of personality and passion when she danced, sometimes at the expense of her technique.

Alyson had entered the group's ballet, tap, and jazz numbers they had performed in the recital. Ballet was to the Chinese dance from the Nutcracker. Tap was to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Jazz was to Emotions by Mariah Carey.

The competition was a three-hour drive from her home, and Beca was super excited to spend a weekend with her mom. The group would be doing all of their numbers in one day, but they were encouraged to stay an extra day to watch the other groups perform. The older competition teams from Alyson's studio would be competing the following day.

Beca and her mom checked into the hotel where the rest of the group was staying. Beca excitedly unpacked her dance costumes and hung them in the closet to shake out any wrinkles. She double checked her makeup to make sure she had everything necessary for the competition. She was used to wearing makeup for recitals, but Alyson was much more strict about what the dancers wore for competition. She looked at the fake eyelashes her mother had purchased at Alyson's insistence and made a face.

"Mom, do I _have_ to wear these stupid things?"

"Alyson says you do."

"Ick. They look like spider legs."

"No, they don't."

"I am not wearing them!"

"Should I tell Alyson you're not dancing?"

Beca's eyes grew wide. "No way. I want to dance!"

"Then this is the last I want to hear about them."

Beca sighed in defeat. "Ugh. Fine. But I don't have to like them!"

"You'll get used to them, and you may even learn to like them."

Beca didn't respond. _I will never get used to these stupid things, and I definitely will never like them_ , she thought.

The next morning she met her team at the competition. Several members of the older groups had come to watch, support, and assist the new team. The new team was competing in the ages 9-10 category.

Ballet was first. Beca's mom got Beca's hair into a neat bun. It came time to put on the eyelashes and Beca threw a fit. The minute her mom put the eyelash anywhere near her face, Beca screamed.

"I'm not wearing those!"

"Beca, you have to."

"No, I don't!"

"Beca, honestly. Cut it out. If you stay still, I'll pop the eyelashes on and it will be over in a minute."

Beca scrunched her eyes shut as hard as she could, making it impossible for her mother to attach the eyelashes.

An older dancer stepped in to try and help.

"Beca, I wear these every time I compete and it makes my eyes look so pretty. Want me to put them on for you?" asked Jennifer, a sixteen-year-old dancer from the senior team.

"No! I'm not wearing them!"

Beca was making a scene in the dressing room at this point. Her mom was really embarrassed. Nine-year-old girls could be so unreasonable.

Alyson stepped in at this point because Beca was really stressing out the other dancers.

"Beca, wear the eyelashes or you don't dance. I won't ask you again. If you don't wear them, you aren't getting another opportunity to compete."

Beca sighed. "Fine."

"So, who's putting them on? Me, your mother, or Jennifer?" asked Alyson.

"Mom," said Beca. She had her arms folded and was scowling.

"Okay, Beca, look down with your eyes," said Jennifer. "Relax and you can blink when you need to. That's how my mom did them for me until I got used to them."

Her mom attached the eyelashes. Beca flinched a little, but her mom was able to attach the eyelashes successfully. She finished the rest of Beca's makeup without any protest from Beca.

Beca's team earned two first-place awards for ballet and jazz. They earned second place for tap. Their jazz won overall high score for small groups in the ages 9-10 category.

Beca and her team were super proud of themselves. They all screamed like crazy when their awards were announced!

* * *

 _Eight years later_

Beca had completed her final dance competition. She had never learned to like fake eyelashes. She ceremoniously tossed all pairs of eyelashes and the tube of eyelash glue into the trash. She was thrilled to never have to wear them again.


	2. Praying

**Praying** \- set one year after the main story of Dance Rivals ends

* * *

A/N: I was inspired by Kesha's performance of this with many other singers at the Grammy awards. I thought it would make for a really cool group number, so I turned my idea into a one-shot.

* * *

Tracie's competition team was having a great season, and this competition was the last before nationals. This was an unusual competition because the girls participated in the convention before competing. It was usually done the day after the competition, but this was a special competition. There was an event planned for the Me Too/Time's Up movement. Someone had choreographed a special lyrical piece to "Praying" by Kesha. The afternoon of the convention would have the dancers from four top dance studios learning the same number. They'd perform it together at the end of the competition as an exhibition piece. Costumes for the number were simple, a white leotard, long white dance skirt, and it would be performed barefoot. It would be recorded, and the video would be all over the Internet. Prior to the competition, the organizers had taken quotes from dancers who had experienced harassment or assault. Beca and Chloe had shared a story of theirs.

* * *

Flashback – nearly a year ago

 _Beca and Chloe were enjoying their month off of dance classes with a much-deserved date night. The two went out for dinner at a nearby diner and then headed to the carnival held by a church near the dance studio. The two were having a great time, playing games, eating cotton candy, and riding rides. The two girls got on the Ferris wheel and shared a few chaste kisses. They got off the ride and a bunch of teenage boys walked up to them._

" _We saw you two dykes kissing on the Ferris wheel. I bet we could turn you. One night with one of us, and you won't be gay anymore," said the one who appeared to be the ringleader._

" _Why would we want to be with any of you?" asked Chloe, angrily._

" _You're just jealous because you will never get someone as hot as my girlfriend," said Beca._

" _Come on, Baby. You're young. You just need a real man to show you," said the ringleader._

" _Too bad I don't see one around here," said Chloe, smirking._

 _Before things got worse, a couple of women who appeared to be in their thirties walked up to the girls. "Everything okay here?" asked one of the women._

" _These guys are just leaving," said Beca. "Right?"_

 _The teenage boys just walked away._

" _Thanks," said Chloe. Beca nodded in agreement._

" _No problem," said the woman. "We look out for our own." She planted a kiss on the other woman's lips. "See you around," she said. She grabbed her hand and they walked away, smiling at Beca and Chloe._

* * *

The dancers from studios performing in the number were free to choose their classes for the morning, but they were to meet to learn the special number after lunch. Beca and Chloe took modern, ballet, and hip-hop that morning. They enjoyed themselves, and happily ate lunch with their friends. None of the others had joined them for classes that morning, but they were all excited to work together on this special dance number.

Four studios were participating in the number. Alyson's studio was participating, and there were two other studios – one was run by a woman named Susan, and the other was run by a woman named Carol. The choreographer specifically requested that only girls perform the number as it was about female empowerment.

The girls were lined up with their classmates. Most of the dance went in two groups, except the final verse. The first verse was performed by Alyson's and Tracie's studios, and the other two stood frozen before joining them in the chorus of the song. The second verse was performed by the other two studios while Alyson's and Tracie's studios stood frozen until the chorus.

The final bridge had each studio do a different eight-count piece of choreography to a line. The final chorus had half the dancers doing choreography in the center, while the other half did leaps across the stage. The entire group would pose at the end. After the song ended, they all looked straight ahead and said "Time's Up!"

They had a great time learning the choreography. The first time the entire group said the words "Time's Up!" a chill ran down all of their spines. They knew they had something powerful, and they hoped they'd be able to do it justice.

* * *

The next day, after the final awards ceremony at the competition, the four studios participating in the special number got themselves ready to perform. The number was amazing, especially considering they'd only learned it the day before.

A week later, the video was on YouTube. Different quotes from dancers who had experienced harassment or assault appeared in the description of the video. It ended up going viral.

* * *

Three months later

Kesha was performing near the dance studio. She'd seen their special dance, and she requested that the dancers join her at her concert and perform the dance while she sang "Praying." The girls were ecstatic!

Kesha's publicist had arranged for tickets in the front row for the dancers performing as well as a few chaperones. Her last song was going to be "Praying," so the girls would be able to see all but the last few songs.

They arrived early at the concert and set up their things. They had to have hair and stage makeup done prior to the concert as there would only be time to change and do a brief warm-up. The girls met in the dressing room, and excitedly chatted amongst themselves.

Just before they were about to leave the dressing room for their seats, Kesha walked into the room. Kesha was one of Beca's favorite artists. Beca found herself speechless when she walked in. She knew she'd be on stage with her, but she never expected Kesha to come to their dressing room and introduce herself.

Chloe saw her girlfriend's shocked face and laughed. Beca was frozen in place, and she was more than a little starstruck.

"Beca, come over and say hi," said Chloe, quietly.

"Ummm..." said Beca, unable to form any other words.

Chloe giggled at her girlfriend and took her hand. Beca walked slowly to Kesha.

"Hi I'm Chloe, and this is my girlfriend Beca," said Chloe, gesturing to Beca.

"Hi," said Beca, giving a small wave.

"Nice to meet you," said Kesha. "You two shared a story, didn't you?"

Beca was still wide-eyed and shocked, so Chloe answered. "Yes, we were the ones who had a group of teenage boys tell us that we just needed a real man to show us how to be straight."

"Sorry you had to go through that," said Kesha. "I'm glad it wasn't worse."

Beca nodded.

"Enjoy the concert. I'll see you on stage in a little while," said Kesha. She walked back to her dressing room.

As the girls were walking to their seats, Chloe teased Beca a little.

"I hope you aren't too shocked to dance when we're on stage with her," said Chloe.

"Dancing, I can do," said Beca. "It's actually talking to people, especially famous ones, that's hard." Chloe laughed.

* * *

A stage manager led the dancers back to their dressing room about three songs before they were due to perform. They changed quickly, touched up hair and makeup, and stretched before heading backstage.

Kesha finished a song and said, "For this last song, I want to introduce you to some local dancers. These are dancers from Tracie's, Alyson's, Susan's, and Carol's studios. They learned a special dance to this song, and I've invited them to perform it with me. You may have seen it on YouTube. Please give a special welcome to my guest dancers!"

The audience erupted in cheers as the dancers took the stage. Kesha stepped to the front corner of the stage to give the dancers room to perform.

The dancers performed their number and Kesha joined them in saying "Time's Up" at the end. The audience applauded and cheered generously as the dancers took their bows.

"Thank you to my guest dancers!" exclaimed Kesha.

The girls happily walked off stage, proud of their accomplishment.


	3. Poodle Skirt

A/N: This is something that happened to me back in my competitive dance days, so I made it happen to Beca and wrote a one-shot.

* * *

 **The Poodle Skirt**

 _Set four years before Dance Rivals begins_

Beca was eleven years old and had just begun the sixth grade. It was her second year officially being on the "petite" competition team, the youngest of competition teams at the studio. Alyson had entered her competition teams into a competition one state over. It was only going to be a day trip, as the drive to the competition was only two hours long, and Beca's team was scheduled to compete all of their numbers in the morning and early afternoon.

Beca's team would be entering the previous recital numbers into the competition for the last time. After that, they'd take a break from competing for a few months to learn the new numbers for the upcoming season.

Beca had five numbers entered. Three of them were only with her group while the other two were combined production numbers with the "junior" and "senior" competition teams. Beca felt very grown up when she got to join other dancers on the stage who were old enough to drive.

Beca's numbers with her group were first. She would compete the ballet number, which was to "Elegance" from the musical "Hello, Dolly!" Beca wasn't thrilled with that number, partially because she didn't really like the song. She thought the costume was ugly as well. When Beca would look back on this number many years later, she'd realize the number would have been much more appropriately entered into the musical theater category. She was too young and inexperienced to realize that Alyson's studio really didn't excel in ballet.

Beca and her team did a nice job with the number. Beca was able to pull off that she was enjoying herself on stage. She liked the dance okay, but the costume was ugly and uncomfortable and the song was really annoying. Alyson was pleased with the way the team performed the number, and she told them so before they had to hurry and change for tap.

Beca quickly changed her costume, tights, and shoes while her mom fussed with her hair. Luckily, the switch from a high ballet bun to the high ponytail was easy. Beca pulled on her poodle skirt, making sure it was shut tight with velcro. She lined up with her team and was ready when it was their turn.

The tap number was to "Rock and Roll Party Queen" from the musical Grease. Beca put a big smile on her face, and then disaster struck three steps into the number. Beca's poodle skirt wasn't fastened as tightly as she'd thought, and the skirt was on the floor before she knew it. She knew from her dance training that the best thing to do was to keep dancing, but inside, she was mortified! She had a leotard on, so she wasn't exposed. She simply stepped out of her skirt and continued the number without missing a beat. She finished the number with a smile on her face, or at least she hoped she had kept a smile on her face. She quickly went back on stage after finishing the number to grab her skirt and met her mom backstage. She'd been holding it together, but the waterworks started the second she saw her mom.

She still had one more number with her group, and then she had the big production numbers to go. She was so embarrassed, and she didn't want to do the next number.

"I can't believe that happened! I don't want to do the jazz dance. I want to go home," Beca wailed.

"Beca, stop. It's just a skirt. You stepped out of it and you finished the dance. I'm sorry it fell off. I'm proud of you for finishing the dance."

"But now everyone will know me as the 'poodle skirt girl' and they'll laugh at me."

"Nobody laughed when it fell off, so I doubt they'll do it now. Come on, honey. Let's dry those tears and fix your makeup. Your team needs you for jazz."

Beca took a few deep breaths. Her mom was right. "Okay, okay. Let's get the jazz costume on."

Beca's mom repaired her makeup, brushed her ponytail, and helped her into the jazz costume. Luckily for Beca, it didn't have anything that could fall off and it fit her well. The headpiece was just a sequined ponytail holder, so it wasn't going anywhere.

"Good job, Beca," said Alyson as she was lining up the group for jazz. "I'm sure you're embarrassed, but I'm proud of you for continuing. It happens a lot, so please don't worry."

Beca nodded, feeling tears starting back up. She needed to calm down and get in the headspace for jazz. She had one number to do it.

"Are you stretched enough for your split?" asked Alyson.

"I think so," said Beca.

"Okay, let's see it," said Alyson. Beca was pretty flexible, but Alyson was hoping she could redirect Beca's focus. She'd noticed Beca was getting worked up at the mention of the skirt incident.

Beca put one foot in front of the other and slowly slid down into her split. A smile crept onto her face. She'd worked really hard at improving her flexibility ever since she'd gotten onto the competition team. She'd gotten to the point of easily landing in a split with little to no pain from the stretch.

"Looking good. Get up and in line. You ladies need to get backstage. Remember to be quiet while you're waiting so you don't disturb the next team."

The girls joined hands and quickly walked backstage. They waited until the announcer called their number before taking the stage.

Beca walked onto the stage and remembered how much she loved the jazz number. The song was a little old, but it was fun anyway. They were performing to "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul. She had no idea why Alyson had them do an older song, but even Beca admitted it had a nice beat.

The music started, a real smile landed on Beca's face, and she and her team rocked the number. She had an eight-count solo at the very last part of the number, landing in a split, and Beca rocked it. The audience cheered when she landed into her split, and she was sure she heard her mother cheering her name.

The team headed back to the dressing room and put on their competition uniforms. They had awards for their age group before the production numbers.

The group was seated on stage for the awards ceremony. They announced ballet first. The team had received second place for their number. Beca was pleasantly surprised. They announced jazz second, and the team had won first place! Beca was thrilled, and she was proud that she'd been able to move past the poodle skirt incident and rock her jazz number. They announced tap, and her team had gotten third place. This wouldn't have been so bad if there had been more than three tap numbers entered for their age group. Beca was disappointed, but she knew she couldn't have done anything better than what she'd already done.

As the team walked back to the dressing room, Barb pulled her aside. "We got third in tap because of your stupid skirt. I guess your mom couldn't sew it right!" Beca's mom had made the skirts for the group.

"If my mom couldn't sew the skirts, why did everyone else's skirt stay on? It was just bad luck, and I promise I'll use a safety pin if we ever do this number in costume again," Beca retorted.

Barb just scoffed, having no better response.

"Beca, I'm so sorry about your skirt."

"Mom, it's fine. It happened, and it's over. Barb's a jerk."

"She sure is. Let's go get some lunch before you have to be back here for the big production numbers."

"Thanks, Mom," said Beca, giving her mother a hug. "Can we get McDonald's?"

"You kids and McDonald's," she said with a shake of her head. "Whatever you want. Just don't go crazy on the fries. We don't want you getting a stomach ache."

"Hey, Miss Alyson, my mom and I are getting lunch. What time do you need us back?" Beca asked.

"1:00, but can we talk for just a minute before you head to lunch? I know you're hungry, and I won't keep you long."

"Okay," said Beca quietly. She had a sneaking suspicion she was going to get in trouble. Alyson had said she was proud of her for continuing the tap number after losing her skirt, but that was before they'd gotten last place. She couldn't help but feel responsible.

"I know you think it's your fault you got last place in tap. I haven't seen the score sheet yet, but I don't think that was the cause. Barb messed up a bit when she saw you step out of your skirt. If they did take off points for you losing your skirt, then that's on them. I'd be surprised if none of the judges ever had a costume problem in a performance or competition."

Beca looked at Alyson expectantly. Barb had blamed Beca, but she'd been the one to mess up? Sure, the loss of the skirt had been distracting, but accidents happen.

Alyson continued. "I wanted to ask if you'd like to learn and perform a solo in the next competition season. I'm really pleased with what I saw, and the way you handled the skirt just shows me you are awfully professional. That's rare in a girl your age."

"A solo? Really?" asked Beca.

Alyson turned to Beca's mother. "This will mean some extra time in the studio. You may have to pay for another costume if we don't have anything appropriate in her size among the shared costumes. It's an amazing opportunity, though, and not one I generally give to one so young."

Beca's mother replied, "I'm okay with it if Beca is." She looked over at Beca, who was grinning and nodding enthusiastically. "I guess she is. Let's talk when we get back to the studio next week. I've got to get some lunch into this one so she has the energy for those big production numbers."

* * *

Beca was so excited about the solo opportunity that she could barely focus and eat her meal.

"Wow, Mom, I can't believe Miss Alyson is giving me a solo. I hope I like the song, and I really hope it isn't ballet. I'm so much better at tap and jazz. Oh, maybe she'll let me try lyrical. What do you-"

"Beca, slow down. I know you're excited, but you need to eat. You have the whole car ride back to talk about it." It was unusual for Beca to be this talkative, but she was really excited.

"Sorry, Mom." She ate her meal, threw away her trash, and followed her mom to the car to get back to the competition.

* * *

Beca and her mother walked through the auditorium to head toward the dressing rooms when Beca stopped dead in her tracks. The ages 11-12 solos were competing, and she was mesmerized by the girl on stage. She had bright red hair and was doing a ballet solo with steps Beca hadn't yet learned.

"Mom, look at her!" exclaimed Beca. "She's got a double pirouette!"

"Yeah, she's really good," said her mom. She checked her watch. "We have a few minutes before we need to meet your team. Do you want to watch the rest of her solo?"

"Yeah, as long as we won't be late."

"We'll be fine."

Beca and her mother watched the beautiful redhead performing. They applauded enthusiastically when she was finished before heading toward the dressing room.

"She's got amazing technique, Mom, and she's so pretty!"

"I saw, but do you know what I noticed?"

"What?"

"She didn't use much facial expression. That's where you excel."

"I guess."

"Okay, let's get to the dressing room. We need to be ready for those big numbers."

Beca followed her mother to the dressing room, still wondering who the girl on stage was. She pushed the thought out of her mind so she could be ready for the production numbers. She had really enjoyed getting to dance and compete alongside the "big girls."

Both production numbers received first place awards and high marks for the judges. It wasn't a perfect ending to the season, but it was a really good one in Beca's mind. She'd have preferred to not have a costume part come off, but the experience had given her the opportunity to show her teacher she could handle a solo. She couldn't wait for the next season.


	4. Beca Meets Jesse

_Set 18 months after the main story of Dance Rivals, Beca's first competition following Chloe's high school graduation_

Beca and Chloe stood backstage, waiting to perform the previous season's solos in an exhibition. The competition had asked the previous season's "title holders" to perform their solos on last time. Beca had been "Miss Dance" for her age division (15-16). Chloe had won for her age division (17-18), and she'd joined the team at the competition for the weekend. Chloe had just begun school at Barden University, but she'd come back for the weekend just to perform the solo. Beca was thrilled to see her girlfriend for the first time in over a month.

The two girls watched the boy who had won "Mr. Dance" for the 15-16 age division in the previous season. He had brown hair and brown eyes, and he'd performed a jazz number to a medley of songs from a few movies. Chloe explained to Beca that they'd all been written by the same composer, John Williams. Beca recognized the Star Wars theme, but Chloe had had to point out that the other pieces were from Jurassic Park, ET, Indiana Jones, and Superman. Beca still didn't like movies, but she found the number very entertaining. He put a lot of personality into it, and his technique was very impressive.

He walked backstage and shot Beca a grin before she took the stage. Beca returned the smile and headed to the stage to perform her solo. She was doing a lyrical routine to "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John.

Beca delivered an excellent performance of her solo. She'd really enjoyed that one, and it was fun to not have the pressure of being judged. She watched the "Mr. Dance" for the 17-18 age division, a tall blonde guy with big muscles, perform his solo, and then she watched Chloe perform her solo. When she was done, she joined the other title holders on stage for a final bow, and that was the end of the competition for the night.

The competition was held in their hometown, but Chloe had reserved a room in a nearby hotel for the night. She'd stayed the night before the competition with her parents, but she and Beca hadn't seen each other in person since she'd left for college over a month ago. She wanted privacy, and neither of them had gotten comfortable with the idea of having sex in Chloe's bed, even though their parents had permitted it for a while. Beca was surprised her parents had given her permission to stay overnight in a hotel room with Chloe, but her parents had gotten used to the fact that Beca and Chloe were sexually active. Beca had been very sad and mopey since Chloe had left for college, so they had agreed without argument.

Beca and Chloe left the competition as quickly as possible, both of them having missed being intimate with each other. They checked into the hotel room, and the clothing went flying almost immediately after they'd closed the door. They didn't even make it to the bed for the first round. They spent the better part of the night making love in an attempt to make up for all the time lost when Chloe had gone away to college. As it was, Chloe would have to leave after breakfast to head back to Barden for a Bellas performance. Neither girl got much sleep, but neither one regretted this either. They'd missed each other's touch, and they couldn't get enough once they'd gotten the opportunity again.

As they lay in each other's arms before falling asleep, Beca spoke up. "Hey, Chloe?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you can't stay for the convention? I miss taking classes with you."

"You know I can't. I have to get back for the Bellas performance. They're counting on me."

"I wish you could stay longer. I don't want to let you go."

"You have me all night. Besides, I'll try and come home as much as I can."

"I wish that was more often. The competition team isn't the same without you."

"It's just one year, Beca. If you go to Barden, I promise we'll spend as much time together as we can."

"I know. I'm just worried that you'll find someone else at Barden and leave me."

"I won't."

"I hope you're right," said Beca as a tear fell down her cheek.

Chloe wiped the tear away with the pad of her thumb. "Beca, I love you. You know that, right?"

Beca nodded. "Yeah."

"Then you have to trust that we are meant to be together." Beca snuggled closer to Chloe.

"Let me show you just how much I love you," said Chloe.

"Again?" asked Beca.

"Unless-" Beca cut off her girlfriend with a deep kiss. The two went for one last round before finally giving into their exhaustion and falling asleep tight in each other's embrace.

* * *

Chloe's cell phone alarm went off at 7, and both girls groaned when it woke them up.

"Why are we up this early?" groaned Beca.

"We have to get breakfast before I head back. I promised Alice I'd be on campus by 10 am. I know you never met her, but I can promise you she's not someone you want to disappoint."

"Worse than Aubrey in 'drill sargeant mode?'"

"She makes Aubrey look like a kitten."

"Yikes."

"Yeah. Care to join me in the shower?" asked Chloe with a wink.

"Can't get enough of me, can you?" said Beca with a smirk.

"Nope," said Chloe, popping the "P."

"Well, you talked me into getting out of bed. I'll be in there in a minute."

"If you're not, I'm starting without you."

"Gross, Chloe!" exclaimed Beca. She laughed and hurried to join her girlfriend in the shower.

After a shared shower that took way too long, the two had breakfast in the hotel. They headed back to the room and quickly packed their things so they could check out. Chloe dropped Beca off at the convention before heading back to Barden. Beca fought off tears when she saw Chloe's eyes welling up as she left. This relationship was going to be difficult with Chloe away at school and always busy with Bellas performances. Their night and morning together had been wonderful, but it had been too short and reality hit hard.

Beca took a deep breath before heading into the building to join her teammates. Stacie saw the sad look on Beca's face and attacked her with a bear hug.

"Stacie, stop! I need to breathe!"

"Sorry, short stuff. I just saw the look on your face. I know how hard it is to leave the one you love."

"But you and Aubrey broke up when she left for Barden."

"Officially, yes. But, we still spent time together, especially in the first year."

"When?"

"It didn't happen much. I actually traveled to a couple of her a capella performances that year, just to see her. I usually didn't get much time with her, but we did have a few fun nights in her hotel rooms."

Beca turned red at the comment, remembering how she and Chloe hadn't been able to keep their hands off of each other once they were alone.

"So, fun night with Chloe then? Or did it suddenly get warm in here?" teased Stacie.

"Shut up," said Beca, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"That's what I thought," said Stacie. "Come on, let's sign up for classes. I'll keep you company today."

"What should we take? There's a tap class first thing in the morning. That should wake me up."

"Yeah, we'll do that. There's partnering just before lunch. You should do that one. The guys would love lifting your tiny self."

"I don't love being lifted, but it's something different," said Beca

"Do you think my tall self might freak them out?" asked Stacie.

"Take it and try and get paired up with the smallest guy. That would be so funny!"

"It would, but I'd rather not get injured. I don't want someone dropping me. Do you mind if I take the musical theater class instead?"

"That's fine. I'm going to stick with partnering. I've never gotten to do one of those classes."

"Okay. After lunch, I'm thinking modern would be fun. Oh, and there's an Israeli dancing class. Let's do that."

"I've never tried that so let's do it. Finish with jazz as usual? The only other option is hip-hop, and that's _so_ not my forte."

"Sounds good," said Stacie.

* * *

Beca and Stacie thoroughly enjoyed the tap class. Both picked up some new steps they'd never tried before.

"I think that instructor might be more than a little obsessed with pullbacks. I didn't know there were so many. And is it a pullback if you do it sideways?" said Beca.

"Got me. I didn't realize there was such a thing as a cramp roll time step," said Stacie. The two girls continued to chat about the class while sipping water.

"Okay, Stacie, I'll meet you outside this room before lunch. Are the rest of the girls joining us?"

"I think so. I'll text everyone real quick. You head to class and let me know how it goes."

"Okay, see you in an hour," said Beca. She headed down the hall to her next class. Stacie's musical theater class was in the same room as the tap class had been, so she had a few extra minutes to send a quick group text before beginning class.

Beca's phone buzzed with the group text as she was walking to the partnering class. She smiled when she saw the replies from the rest of the team come in. She was glad there would be enough of them to have their own table.

She headed into the class and saw there were four men lined up. Two were instructors, and the other two were the two "Mr. Dance" winners from the previous competition season. She had gotten in line for the winner from the 17-18 category because he had the biggest muscles, but one of the other instructors put her in line with the winner from the 15-16 category. Beca had complained, but the instructor said she'd moved her because Beca was tiny and that having a picture of Mr. and Miss Dance from the previous year in the same age category was good PR for the organization.

The instructor demonstrated the first lift – a simple combination of a sous sous and then an entrechat-six. This meant they were to begin in fifth position, plié, and rise to the balls of their feet (sous sous), and then return to fifth position in a plié, jump up and cross their feet in fifth position three times (switching which foot was in front each time, commonly called a beat) before landing back in fifth position in a plié before straightening their legs to end. The lift would occur during the jump, making it easier to manage the three beats in the air. Most dancers at that level could only manage an entrechat-quatre, which had two beats.

Beca walked up to her partner. He gave her the same smile he'd given her the night before when exiting the stage. "Hi, I'm Jesse."

"Beca."

She shook his hand and then took her starting position. She flinched a little when Jesse's hands went on her waist.

"Don't worry, I gotcha."

Beca nodded and began the combination. It was unnerving to dance with someone's hands on her waist. She hadn't done lifts in years. When Jesse lifted her for the jump, she smiled. It felt like she was flying, and she easily did the three beats before landing.

"Thanks," she said to Jesse before taking her place at the end of the line of girls waiting to try the combination.

Beca became more comfortable with Jesse lifting her with each combination. For the last five minutes of the class, two instructors demonstrated a few more lifts. They encouraged Jesse to try them with Beca. Beca was skeptical, but she agreed to give them a try if there was a spotter. They managed all but the last lift because it involved Jesse flipping Beca over his shoulder. Jesse had assured Beca he wouldn't let her fall, but Beca refused. "If I do fall, I'm out for the season. I can't chance that."

"Beca, you're light as a feather."

Beca rolled her eyes. "If you say so, but I am _not_ a feather, and I don't want to try that one."

"Fair enough," said Jesse. They did all the lifts one more time to the applause of their fellow students.

After that, it was time to break for lunch. Beca was gathering her things. She turned around to see Jesse standing behind her.

"Hey, Beca."

"What's up?"

"Would you like to eat lunch together?"

"Jesse, I promised to meet my teammates and eat with them. Maybe another time."

"Can I get your number so we can plan that other time?"

"Smooth, Jesse. Are you asking me out on a date?"

Jesse's cheeks turned pink and he grinned sheepishly. "So...you noticed that. Yeah, what do you say?"

"I have to say no."

"You're not going to give me a chance?"

"No. For two reasons. I have a girlfriend, and I'm completely, totally, 100% gay. Not into dudes at all."

"Oh."

"I wouldn't mind getting lunch another time as friends, though."

"Oh, yeah, maybe."

"If there's a free seat at the table and you don't mind sitting with a bunch of girls, you can join us. Now that I think about it, we have a free seat now that Chloe is in college."

"Chloe? Is that the 17-18 Miss Dance?"

"She is, and she's my girlfriend."

"I thought she was here."

"She was here yesterday, but she had to head back to school this morning."

"Ah. Okay. Any chance any of your teammates are single?"

"Well, let me see. CR and Denise are dating each other, and so are Jessica and Ashley. Stacie's single right now and she's bi, so maybe. Nobody is sure about Lilly and her orientation, though. I swear I don't understand a word that comes out of her mouth."

"Interesting."

"Yeah. Why don't you join us anyway?"

"I think I will. Thanks."

Jesse joined Beca and her teammates at their table for lunch. Beca introduced Jesse to each of the girls, and they all sat and waited for their appetizers.

"I swear at one of these conventions, they really should include an etiquette class. I always forget which fork to use," said Ashley.

"You know what Tracie told us. Go from the outside in," said Jessica. Ashley blushed as Jessica gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Knock it off, you two," said Stacie. "This one's missing her girlfriend." She jerked her thumb at Beca.

"It's fine, Stacie," said Beca. "But, thanks."

The salads arrived and the group chatted about the classes they'd taken.

"My arms are awfully tired from the partnering class. Not everyone was feather-light like Beca," said Jesse.

Beca rolled her eyes. "I get it, I'm small. Enough already. I swear one of these days I'm going to be over five feet tall!"

"That day is not today," said Stacie. "Tomorrow doesn't look good either."

Beca held her fork up, "Don't make me stab you with this fork," said Beca, pretending to threaten her friend.

"Are they always like this?" Jesse asked the others.

"They're usually worse," said CR. Lilly mumbled something.

Jesse opened his mouth to ask her to repeat it, but Beca put a hand up to stop him. "Don't ask. Seriously."

"Why?"

"I'm pretty sure I caught the phrase 'dead body,'" said Beca.

"Oh," said Jesse.

"So, Jesse," said Stacie. "How long have you been taking dance lessons?"

"I started when I was three, so I guess that makes it fourteen years," said Jesse. "I was watching my older sister's recital, and my mom said I was chomping at the bit to get on stage with her. They enrolled me, and I haven't stopped yet."

"That's adorable," said Stacie.

"What about the rest of you?" asked Jesse.

"I was four," said Beca. "I had so much energy, and my parents were trying to keep me busy."

The rest of the team said they'd been somewhere between two and four when they'd begun their training.

They talked a bit more about dance and their lives outside of it, not that anyone in the group did much outside of school and dance lessons. Jesse was a movie buff, and he'd been the one to suggest the solo to various movie music to his teacher. The other girls thought it was a clever idea while Beca rolled her eyes.

"What, do you not like movies or something?" Jesse asked Beca. Beca shrugged. "Like, any movies?" Beca shook her head. "What the hell is wrong with you? How do you not like movies? Not liking movies is like not liking...puppies!"

"They're fine. I just get bored and never make it to the end."

"The endings are the best part!"

Stacie cut them off. "We know, Beca. They're predictable, blah blah blah. Trust me, we've heard the speech."

Jesse looked at Beca incredulously.

"Seriously, Jesse. She goes into this speech every time we want to watch a movie unless it's a musical."

"You'll only watch a movie if it's a musical?" Jesse asked Beca.

"Duh. They're the only ones worth watching. Singing, dancing, the stuff that makes it fun to watch. Besides, you haven't lived until you've watched Rent with this crew. Stacie can give one hell of a lap dance to 'Out Tonight.'"

Stacie smirked. "You're damn right."

Jesse took a quick glance at the tall brunette. "Yeah, I bet you do," he said, turning red at the thought.

"It embarrassed the hell out of my girlfriend at Beca's house."

Jesse turned to Beca and whispered, "I thought you said Stacie was single."

"She is," Beca whispered back. "She means her girlfriend at the time."

"Care to share with the group?" Stacie asked Jesse and Beca.

"Nothing," said Jesse.

Before anyone could comment further, an employee from the dance convention told everyone in the dining room that lunch was ending in five minutes. The group stopped their conversation and finished their food.

After the convention, Stacie drove Beca home. Beca hadn't yet gotten her license, but Stacie had and Beca's house was on the way back to hers.

"What was all that with Jesse?" asked Stacie.

"What do you mean?"

"Were you trying to set us up?"

"Well, Jesse asked me on a date, but I turned him down for obvious reasons. He asked if anyone was single, and I told him you were. I really don't know what the deal is with Lilly. Did he ask you out?"

"No. I think I scared him."

Beca laughed. "Well, he did seem a little freaked out about the lap dance comment."

The two girls laughed.

"He seems like a good guy, though," said Beca. "I hope we see him at another competition sometime."


End file.
